(this poem is late because you taught me how to manage my time,)

this is for my father,
for his/her/your... our fathers,
for fathers who have carried the weight of this world,
who gave their all for us and to us,
who forfeited more than we know for our well-being,
who lead us by example and instructed us,
willingly and wisely,
to men! strong like bull, straight-faced and well-mannered,
to the tree which these apples have not fallen far from,
to the teachers of wisdom and strength and dignity,
this is for those of you strong enough to raise an unpredictable equation,
to invest in it blindly,
to let your armor down slightly,
to those of you strong enough to love from a place you keep guarded,
knowing all too honestly that we will challenge your perception,
that we, your children, are as predictable and as probable as chance,
knowing that you are lightning strike and we are thunder rumble
and hoping that you are bright enough and loud enough that we might learn to listen,
to fathers who love child
through exclamation and anger,
through fumbles and anticipation,
this! is for the man who taught me to stand my ground
who loved from his epicenter,
who gave everything he knew to give,
who held me and told me he was proud of me
even when i was scarred and scared and afraid of the dark,
to the man who learned the hard way
that i could be as stubborn as him,
who knew when i could do better,
this is for all of you,
for all of the unspoken and unexpressed,
for all of the belly-aching laughter,
for all things broken and repaired,
for all of the discipline and challenges and triumphs,
for every single moment you see yourselves in us
and for every day we don't say it,
this is for every birthday, battle scar, bigwheel,
for my father,
and his father before him,
and for every father who has fathered me when i was not in the company of my own,
this day is for you,
because every other day we might forget to say it,
and you might forget to accept it,
or you may not grasp it completely,
and this hug is for you,
squeezed tight like a faithful promise,
this moment is for you because you gave us this,
every heartbeat that fills this chest,
every breath in these lungs,
every blink of these eyes,
this is a letter to every man who tried with all that he had,
this entire life is a tribute to you,
that i might live up to your expectations,
that i might do you proud,
you who gave and gave and gave,
you who had to trust in everything without knowing,
having to give way to doubt,
this existence, as honest as love, as simple as truth, is for you,
you gave it your all and we give you everything in return,
to every man strong enough to love and trust and give without condition,
this is for you,
with every last ounce of love and thanks we can muster,
this is for you!
and for every man out there like you
who knows what it is to hold the future in your arms,
to teach it how to be, how to dust its shoulders off and how to never give up,
to father it without smothering and to know when it is time to let go,
this thank you is for you,
for my father and for every man like him.

06/23/2009

Posted on 06/24/2009
Copyright © 2024 Frankie Sanchez